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There are some of you out there who have been very eager to learn if Wrong Side of the Pond will once again be hosting a Fantasy Premier League competition again for the 2015/2015 season.

Why people are so eager to know if we’ll form a league again, I can only speculate. Maybe it’s because you feel like attempting to best “real life pundits”, though that’s not hard when you join a league where the pundits — myself and Pondcast co-host Jeremy — finished in mid-table in 2014/2015. So, I’m just going to presume you’re all here because you really want a free shirt from the WSOTP Shop.

Well, we won’t disappoint… of course the league is coming back again this year. The third edition of the WSOTP Premieraliga Fantasy Premier League is back, and we’ll once again be awarding the winners prizes from our WSOTP Shop.

Yes, you read that correctly. I said winners, as in the plural. But how can that be?

Just as with MLS, we’re hosting both a traditional and head-to-head leagues. Which means we could potentially have two different winners. If one person wins both, they’ll get both prizes.

All that explained, its high time you get signed up for both the leagues. And here’s how you’ll do so:

You’ve got exactly two weeks get yourself all set up, but better to be early than late in the world of fantasy.

And FYI, if you win — make sure to reach out to us. We’ll post who the winner is on Social Media, but we won’t chase you down! Believe it or not, our winner from 2014/2015 still hasn’t claimed their shirt. So if you do win, shoot us an email to contact@wrongsideofthepond.com and let us know your selection(s) and a shipping address. If you have any additional questions, hit us up.

Last summer during the World Cup, my podcast co-host Jeremy and I were privileged enough to be the emcees for Cincinnati’s — maybe Ohio’s? — largest US men’s national team watch parties. We stood on stage in the cultural center of Cincinnati, Fountain Square, in front of thousands of passionate soccer fans and brought the Wrong Side of the Pond to the masses and helped set the scene for all the action in Brazil.

Obviously, this won’t be an all-out soccer affair like our previous gig on the Square. We’ll mainly be introducing the bands, giving props to the event sponsors and commenting on the events unfolding in the crowd — but we will be sprinkling in soccer commentary throughout the course of the day.

In addition to hearing our lovely voices in a public setting, you’ll also have a plethora of other Irish activities to take part in. Performances, live Celtic music (peep the schedule below), Irish grub and garb, and of course we’ll have Guinness and Harp on tap too — along with Buds and Bud Lights, too. For those of you who prefer a harder drink, Jameson Whiskey will be available as well. And there will also be activities for the kids too, like face painting. Just don’t feed the kids any of the alcohol, cool?

Plus, don’t forget to say “hi” if you happen to spot us enjoying a pint in between stints on stage. See you Saturday!

Like this:

Many of our regular readers know of our love of fantasy soccer here at WSOTP. Not only am I an avid player of the virtual beautiful game, Jeremy and I talk about it on the #Pondcast and we’ve also hosted numerous fantasy leagues in which our followers and friends can compete alongside and against us. And with over 100 participants in this year’s WSOTP Fantasy Premier League, it was clear that many of you share the love of fantasy too.

So with the 2015 Major League Soccer season (supposedly) beginning this coming weekend, we figured we’d want to get in on the domestic fantasy action this year with you guys too.

But we’re not hosting just one fantasy league this time around. That’s right, we’re hosting TWO fantasy leagues: one in the “classic” format, and one in the “head-to-head” format.

And the surprises don’t stop there, either…

Though we usually award the winners of our fantasy leagues a shirt from our own WSOTP Shop, we realize that a domestic league should have domestic prizes. And admittedly — embarrassingly, even — our store is a bit short on designs in that genre at the moment. Luckily, our good friends at Clean Sheet Co. have generously partnered with us to provide the winner(s) of both our leagues a shirt of their choosing from their store!

We’ve been recording the official Wrong Side of the Pond podcast for just over a year and a half now. In total, we’ve recorded sixty-six episodes and have amassed a healthy following which numbered just shy of 200 subscriptions after our last episode. And to be honest, we’re stoked with how far we’ve come. Recording has been a blast, and it’s opened quite a few doors for us.

And even though we’ve experienced all this growth, we obviously still want the podcast to continue to grow. Problem is, it’s still really easy for our own “Pondcast” to get drowned out by the cacophony of other soccer pods out there.

All the major American outlets have them — NBC with their Men in Blazers, ESPN with their ESPNFC, Major League Soccer’s ExtraTime Radio, most of the SB Nation Blog’s, etc. There’s also the excellent podcasts across the pond, like The Football Ramble or the Guardian’s Football Weekly and the like. That’s some pretty stiff, well-backed competition. Each of those shows has thousands upon thousands of subscribers. And that’s not even including the ocean of other independent soccer podcasts like ourselves filling the digital airways. But just because we’re small, that doesn’t mean that we’re not worthy of a listen. There are diamonds in the rough.

But what exactly are small appealing podcasts with limited backing supposed to do to continue to grow?

Like this:

Even though we recently debuted our very first scarf just last week, we’re back to stock the shelves of the WSOTP Shop with ever more new merch! And we’re doing so by getting back to our bred and butter offering: new shirts!

And it’s with great joy that I’m able to introduce the latest line of shirts that we’re adding to the shop: the “Pictured Line”!

The “Pictured Line” features a series of four shirts — for now — that seek to represent some of the biggest sides in the English football with combinations of iconic club imagery unique to each club. The blue moon of Manchester City. The artillery in Arsenal’s red. The royal blue English lion of Chelsea. And the cock of Tottenham Hotspur in Lillywhite. And below each club’s initials is a further token image that features prominently in the club’s history.

We’re still working out the final details of the latest shirts to get them into inventory, so be sure to stay tuned for news about when you can grab your own. And in the mean time, make sure to pre-order our first ever WSOTP Scarf!

Last week, I posted three mock ups on the site to let fans to pick an official soccer scarf design for Wrong Side of the Pond. Well the people — you, our readers and listeners — have spoken, the votes have been tallied, and a winning design for the first ever WSOTP scarf has been selected. And the winner is, with nearly 70% of the vote…

OPTION #1: The WSOTP Hoops Scarf!

So now that a winning design has been selected, how do you go about getting your hands on one?

Like this:

There’s a saying in the realm of football media that goes something along the lines of, “You’re not a real soccer website until you have your own scarf”… or at least that’s what it seems like.

Over the years — and especially since the unveiling of the WSOTP Shop — I’ve had multitudes of requests for our own branded scarf. And honestly, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, too. However, coming up with a suitable/appealing design, gauging interest in placing an order, getting it produced and then distributing them to everyone was always daunting enough to convince me to put it off a while longer.

Yet with the cold of winter just around the corner, the timing for undertaking that process will truly never be better.

But I have a problem.

I’ve come up with three different scarves, and I can’t decide which one we should go with. Furthermore, since there’s a minimum order quantity of 75 pieces that needs to be dealt with, I need to make sure it’s a design that people would actually want to begin with. And that’s where you readers come into play: I need your help in picking the final design.

Like this:

After a successful debut season with nearly 60 participants — and after receiving quite a few inquiries to see if it would be making an encore this year — it’s been decided that the WSOTP Premieraliga Fantasy Premier League will indeed return for a second season!

And just as with last season’s edition, the winner of the 2014/2015 league will win a free shirt from the WSOTP Shop of their own choosing.

You’ve got a few weeks yet to join, but better to do so sooner rather than later. If you’re anything like me, it will skip your mind and the deadline will pass before you’ve had a chance to throw your name into the hat. I picked my team today for that very reason… not that it will matter, since I tend to suck at these things anyway. And I won’t be awarding a shirt to myself. Anyway, I’ll also try to provide sporadic updates on the table throughout the season, so that way you know whether you’re paying the league adequate focus or not.

FYI: upon the season’s conclusion, the winner will need to provide their shirt selection, shirt size and an address shipping address. I promise I won’t stalk you after receiving it.

I am excited to share this short excerpt from my first ever printed article. To read it in its entirety, pick up a copy of the Monday, June 9, 2014, edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer, my hometown newspaper. Or you can read it online by clicking here or the link at the end of the excerpt.

Summer: Everyone’s favorite season is finally upon us.

It’s a time when many look forward to taking a break from their normal lives. Reds baseball, time away from work, a chance to travel, warmer weather, summer vacation from school, barbecues, pool parties … everyone has their own reason.

But for a sizable contingent of the world’s population – with estimates reaching in excess of 1 billion people – this summer will be planned around one event in particular.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Stretching June 12-July 13, soccer’s world championship is arguably the planet’s most popular sporting event. And after long being a fringe event in our neck of the woods, the World Cup’s popularity is finally starting to catch on in the United States

You might call me an “early adopter”: my obsession with the World Cup stretches back to my earliest days. I was born in the middle of the tournament in Spain in 1982. Attending the 1994 World Cup finals here in the U.S. was probably the most seminal moment of my childhood. My loving wife even allowed me to plan our wedding around the last World Cup, ensuring neither I nor any of my guests would miss the action.

So why is the World Cup such a big deal to me and a billion others? Like summer, everyone has their own reasons.

a shot of my world cup preview on the front page of the sports section in today’s print edition of the cincinnati enquirer.

Many are in it for the spectacle. For some, it’s the coming together of people from all four corners of the globe. And for others still, it’s a way of life that’s been ingrained in their country’s culture for decades.

If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, no hard feelings. But if you’re letting the old preconceived notions of the game keep you from watching this summer – it’s boring, it’s full of cheaters, and the U.S. isn’t any good – you’re doing yourself a disservice. Though soccer isn’t without faults, its greatest spectacle is packed full of enough drama and action to convince even the most hardened critics. So long as you give it a chance.

Still need convincing to give the World Cup some of your attention this summer?

That’s right kids, the day has finally arrived. Myself and WSOTP Podcast co-host Jeremy Lance will be taking to the broadcast booth tonight as we commentate our first ever game for the Cincinnati Saints!

And even if you can’t make it down to Over-the-Rhine’s Stargel Stadium to watch the match in person, you can take in the match and our orations via a live stream right here on Wrong Side of the Pond. Click below to watch us live at 7:30pm tonight. And if that doesn’t fit your busy schedule, you can always check back and watch at a later time.

Be kind in your evaluations of our commentating efforts… it’s our first run through, and neither of us has ever done this before. But know in advance that we’re aiming to at least clear the low bar set by FOX’s professional team of Gus Johnson and Eric Wynalda.

UPDATE 5/27/2014: Apologies for the inability to stream the match live on Friday, as we experienced some technical errors on the production side. That said, the stream is now available for your viewing pleasure on the ICRCTV.net website. We’ve also received assurances that this Friday’s (5/30) match against Detroit City FC will be available to livestream on YouTube.